1.
Self-surrender is a direct, valid mode of God-realisation.
2. Self-surrender is the easier and surer means of
God-realisation.
3. Self-surrender is a safe and sure means of God-realisation.
4. Nothing can be achieved without surrender to the Lord.
THE TECHNIQUE
5. Surrender yourself and all your belongings at the feet of the
Supreme. Live a dedicated life of Godliness.
6. Think that nothing is yours and everything belongs to God.
This is surrender to God.
7. Give the power of attorney to God. Let Him do whatever He
wants. You will have no worry or anxiety. You will be peaceful.
8. Surrender contains intense love and faith.
9. Surrender must be complete. You cannot have any part of
yours.
10. The entire being, mind, intellect, Chitta and egoism, must be
surrendered to the Lord.
11. Desire and egoism are two great obstacles to self-surrender.
12. If the mind says: I am Thine, my Lord; if the ego says: I
must become a High Court Judge; if the intellect says: I am a great devotee;
and if the Chitta says: I must attain Siddhis; this will not constitute
perfect, unreserved surrender. This is only cheating the Lord, the inner ruler
and witness.
13. After surrendering to the Lord, you should not grumble, fret
and fume, when any trouble comes. You should not complain to the Lord: O Lord,
You have no eyes. You have no compassion. If you complain then there is no
meaning in your surrender.
THE FRUITS OF SURRENDER
14. Through surrender the devotee immerses himself into the
eternal essence.
15. You can endear yourself unto the Lord only by
self-surrender.
16. The more the surrender the more the grace.
17. The degree of grace is in direct proportion to the degree of
surrender.
18. You do not lose anything in surrendering to the Lord. You
become one with the Lord by surrendering to the Lord. You possess all the
Aisvaryas of the Lord. You attain fullness.
MANTRA FOR SURRENDER
19. Sri Krishna Saranam Mama, Sri Krishnah Saranam Mama, Harih
Saranam, I am Thine, all is Thine, Thy Will be done my Lord, are formulas for
effecting self-surrender.
20. Surrender comes out of intense love and unshakable faith in
God.
21. Intense Bhakti can only be attained by the Grace of God.
22. This is Prapatti Yoga or the Yoga of self-surrender.
(maa = do not; kuru = do / act; dhana = wealth; jana = people;
yauvana = youth; garvaM = arrogance / haughtiness; harati = takes away / steals
away; nimeshhaat.h = in the twinkling of the eye; kaalaH = Time; sarvaM = all;
maayaa = delusion; mayaM = full of / completely filled; idaM = this; akhilaM =
whole / entire; buddhvaa = having convinced; brahmapadaM = the state / position
of Brahma / God-realized state; tvaM = you; pravisha = enter; viditvaa = having
known / realized.)
(dhana jana yauvana garvaM
maa kuru = do not boast of wealth, youth and friends (because); kaalaH
nimeshhaat.h sarvaM harati = In a moment Time steals everything; idaM akhilaM
maayaa mayaM = all this is just delusion (Maya); buddhva = having convinced;
tvaM brahmapadaM viditvaa, pravisha = know the Brahman and enter into It and
merge in It.)
The false sense of security provided by youth, wealth, one’s
relatives, friends and other worldly possessions often make a man proud and
egoistic. Such people are so arrogant because of their wealth or influence in
the society that they refuse to believe there will be a change to this status
later. They do not hesitate to insult others and harm innocent people. With
money power, they build a fortress of strength around them. Unfortunately,
there is a very powerful army who can break into this seemingly impenetrable
citadel: the all-destroying Time. It stealthily comes and steals away all this
in a moment.
Sri Sankara cautions against this wrong attitude of man, which
causes a lot of avoidable misery later for him and those around him. For him,
he will soon understand that the great destroyer Time changes the whole
situation overnight. Youth is not everlasting. Neither is wealth. It doesn’t
take long for a poor man to get rich or a rich man to reduce to rags. Wealth
doesn’t remain constant with anybody. Money can be lost in many ways:
misfortune, theft, cheating, quarrels, illhealth, etc. With money gone,
relatives and friends desert. Most relatives and friends surround us only for
our money, hoping to enjoy a little of the good fortune. If the purse is empty,
no friend or relative will stay with us for long. Fortune and misfortune come
and go. What we experience is not permanent.
The transitory nature of the world and its pleasures should awaken
us from our slumber. We must apply our intelligence and know that these things
are in essence just illusions (Maya). “What is Maya? It is none other than the
desire that obstructs the spiritual growth of an aspirant”
Our goal should be to know the Supreme principle Brahman and to
merge our little consciousness in it. The Atman, which resides inside us, is
the true and everlasting principle.
(vayasigate = vayasi + gate, when age has
advanced / gone; kaH = who / what use (in the sense of kva?(where));
kaamavikaaraH = sensual / sexual feeling; shushhke = in the drying up of; niire
= water; ka = what (use) is the; kaasaaraH = lake; kshiiNe = spent-up /
weakened state of; vitte = wealth; kaH = what (use) for; parivaaraH = family
(is there?); GYaate = in the realized state; tattve = truth; kaH = what (use)
is; sa.nsaaraH = world / family bond.)
(vayasigate = when advanced in age; kaH
kaamavikaaraH = what is (the use of) sensual feelings ? ; shushhke niire = when
dry; ka kaasaaraH = what (use) is a lake ?; kshiiNe vitte = when wealth is
depleted; kaH parivaaraH = what (use) is the family ? GYaate tattve = known the
Truth; kaH sa.nsaaraH = what (use) is worldly life ?)
Without the cause, the effect has no existence.
Sri Sankara presents this fact here with four examples. There is no place for
carnal feelings as we advance in age; The lake is no lake if the water in it
dries up; There are no relatives if we run out of wealth. In the same manner,
there is no samsaara (worldly life) for the person who has understood the
Eternal Principle.
The cause of sexual feelings is youth. Health and
vigour gradually shrink as we age. The body loses the earlier potential to
perform. There is no escape from this transformation. Lake, once dried up, is
no longer called by that name. Relatives, family members, all of them surround
a person only when he has money. As soon as his wealth is gone, the people
desert him or may even try to harm if possible. People surrounded him only due
to his wealth and position, unconsciously hoping for a share of his fortune.
When the person is no longer giving them this hope, people find no use for his
company and go after somebody else.
As soon as we know the cause of our Existence,
the delusion of the world goes away from our eyes. The world holds no charm for
the person who has experienced the principle of spirituality: God alone is
Truth and the world is a delusion; He is the eternal principle behind the
ever-changing world drama.
The driving force in life is the worldy desire.
When a spiritual aspirant succeeds in curtailing this, when he is able to dry
out the lake of desires, where is the Samsara for him ? The material world and
its attractions fail to charm the aspirant: he has found more durable thing.
When the darkness of ignorance vanishes with the light of Knowledge of the
Self, mundane things won’t interest his mind.
What remains in the man from whose mind lust and
greed are entirely eliminated? The Bliss of Brahman beams in him.
(satsaN^gatve = in good company;
nissaN^gatvaM = non-attachment / detachment; nirmohatvaM = non-infatuated state
/ clearheadedness; nishchalatattvaM = tranquility / imperturbability;
jiivanmuktiH = salvation + freedom from bondage of birth.)
(satsaN^gatve nissaN^gatvaM = Through
satsanga (company of good and holy people), non - attachment (is achieved);
nissaN^gatve nirmohatvam.h = by non-attachment, non- infatuated state;
nirmohatve nishchalatattvaM = through non- infatuated state, tranquility;
nishchalatattve jiivanmuktiH = from tranquility, freedom from bondage of
birth.)
Sri Sankara here gives us a ladder to
climb up to the level of salvation. The first step is satsanga: the company of
holy people, saints, good men and women. This is the basis of all further
steps. The flow of knowledge is from the guru to disciples. This has been the
method of transmission of this knowledge through generations, through
centuries.
It
is a well-known fact that good character is developed from the company of good
people and degradation is likely to follow the company of the wicked. Hence the
spiritual aspirants desirous of God realization should attempt to keep only the
company of really good people; if available, men who have seen God. Satsanga
helps them know which is real and which is transitory; which leads to God and
which leads away. Equipped thus with true knowledge, the aspirant slowly
develops non-attachment to things of the world. The Gita lays great stress on
non–attachment; It is termed Anasakti Yoga. This attitude of renunciation of
worldly pleasures and charms is required for further progress. The spiritual
aspirant who is non-attached slowly gets free from delusion. The Maya of the
world fails to mislead such a sadhaka. When he meditates on the Lord with the
mind thus purified, he is sure to reach a state of tranquility. The tranquil
mind soon realizes Truth. The Yogi now attains freedom. Freedom from the chain
of birth and death; freedom from ignorance, misery, transitory nature of the
world. This was the aim of his sadhana.
The ladder thus shown by Sri Sankara is
similar to the one given in the Gita: In Gita, Sri Krishna shows a ladder which
goes down – to degradation:
“Brooding on the objects of senses, man
develops attachment to them; from attachment comes desire; from desire anger
sprouts forth. From anger proceeds delusion; from delusion, confused memory;
from confused memory the ruin of reason; due to the ruin of reason he
perishes.”
He
who is dead as it were when alive, that is to say, as desire-less as a corpse,
becomes competent for Brahma–jnanam ie knowledge of the supreme.
The realistic view on life’s situation may not be to
our liking; but it will give clarity of thought necessary for a true spiritual
aspirant. The Acharyas seldom despise earthly relation of husband and wife,
father and son, etc. The scriptures assert the sanctity of such relationships
that form the moral foundation of society. But spiritual aspirant should be
keener and contemplate more. We must wonder who we really are. Before my birth,
who I was, where I was ? Who was my wife before our marriage ? A daughter of
somebody. One fine morning she entered my life. Like this, I have no clue who
were my sons or daughters. After death, all these relationships come to an end,
whether we like it or not; whether we accept it or not. Yet people foolishly
think all this is permanent. Strange indeed are the ways of the world. The more
we brood on the transient nature of all these things, the more we will come
closer to truth, which will be a good beginning for spiritual life.
Spiritual aspirants should not misunderstand that
family life is the end and aim of life. All earthly relations will come to an
end, sooner or later. Hence we should understand that God alone is our true
relative: he alone is our mother, our father, our relative, our friend. Do your
duty to wife and children; but give your love only to God.
The wife of this life may not be that of the next
one; the same is the case with other relatives. The Upanishads tell the story
of a husband and wife whose only son died. They were so grieved that they
approached a holy man and pleaded with him to resurrect the dead son. The holy
man tried to convince that it is a futile task. The son, anyway has to die at a
later date; It doesn’t make any difference even if he gets another span of
life. However, the attachment on the son was too much, and the sorrowful
parents did not accept any excuses. At last, the holy man had to apply his
supernatural powers and wake up the boy from the dark realms of death. Responding
to the holy ministrations, the boy opened his eyes and looked around. The holy
man asked him: “Aren’t you happy to come back to life? Don’t you recognize your
parents? Here is your mother crying for your coming back; Here is your father
waiting for you to open your eyes….’’ The boy looked puzzled and asked the holy
man: “I cannot understand anything. Which father are you talking about ? Which
mother ? Sometimes I was a son, sometimes father, I was mother, I was husband.
Now I don’t know about which parents you are talking about. Leave me alone; let
me go back from where I came”. This story precisely tells us the facts of life,
though harsh.
These earthly ties are transitory. Today they seem
to be the be-all and end-all of life, and tomorrow they vanish. Your real tie
is with God.
(baalaH = childhood; taavat.h = till then; kriiDaa =
play; saktaH = attached / engrossed / absorbed; taruNaH = adolescent; young
man; taavat.h = till then; taruNii = young woman; saktaH = attached /
engrossed; vR^iddhaH = old man; taavat.h = till then; chintaa = worry; saktaH =
attached / engrossed / absorbed; parame = in the lofty; high; supreme; brahmaNi
= (in) Brahman ; God; ko.api = whosoever (nobody); na = not; saktaH = attached
/ absorbed; engrossed.)
(Baalastaavat kriiDaasaktaH= as a child, (one is)
absorbed in play; TaruNastaavat taruNiisaktaH . = as young man, engrossed in
girls; vR^iddhastaavachchintaasaktaH = as old man, immersed in anxious
thoughts; parame brahmaNi ko.api na saktaH = (Alas!) nobody is attracted to the
Para Brahman!)
The philosopher in Sri Sankara portrays the truth
about man’s journey of life and laments that everybody is immersed in worldly
pursuits, but none is interested in realising God. As a child, he is immersed
in play and games without a worry of the world. The play in childhood gives way
to lust in his youth. His sole aim now is to attract the opposite sex and enjoy
their company. As he gets older, he understands his folly a little, but not
much. He is a worried man now; but the worry is not about God realization: his
worries are mostly on his past life, his relatives, his sons and perhaps their
children. Life is spent like this in vain, without any purpose. Alas! He finds
no time to contemplate on God and thus fulfill his life’s mission. He refuses
to believe there is anything beyond this mundane existence and keeps himself
busy with meaningless worldly activities. He thinks that all he sees here is
the everlasting thing and whole-heartedly devotes his time to it. When the
messengers of death suddenly force him, it is perhaps with a heavy heart that
he leaves this world reluctantly.
Man spends most of his time in ‘kamini kanchana’,
wealth and woman and forgets his aim. Most people do not even know that there
is an aim. People are so busy in their day- to- day affairs, too engrossed in
keeping their position in society, that there is no question of even remembering
God. Some realize this only at a time when it is too late. We forget that life
is of five minutes and the sooner we search for God, the better it is.
(yaavat.h = so long as; pavanaH = air / breath;
nivasati = lives / dwells; dehe = in the body; taavat.h = till then;
pR^ichchhati = asks / inquires; kushalaM = welfare; gehe = in the house;
gatavati = while gone; vaayau = air (life-breath); dehaapaaye = when life
departs the body; bhaaryaa = wife; bibhyati = is afraid; fears; tasminkaaye =
tasmin.h + kaye, that body.)
(yaavat.h dehe pavanaH nivasati = As long as breath
(prana) resides in the body; taavat.h gehe kushalaM pR^ichchhati = Till that
time (people) enquire the welfare; dehaapaaye, vaayau gatavati = when the body
falls with the departure of breath; tasmin kaaye bharyaa bibhyati = (even
one’s) wife is afraid of that body)
Even wife is afraid of her husband's dead body, the
body which gave her pleasure and pain in life; which shared her joys and
sorrows: Lo! Now that is past; It is now a lifeless lump: a dead body! This is
also a sour fact. As long as the breath of life is there, people come and
surround. The departure of prana (jeeva) changes the whole scene. People want
to get rid of the dead body as soon as possible. We should understand that the
body is useful only to this extent. It is the best instrument we have to make
the best out of life: to realize God. But if we think that it is everlasting and
give too much attention to mend it, that is a fruitless exercise.
It is to be remembered that the body is undergoing
change always. The pretty baby soon grows into a handsome youth. Youth has soon
to give way to old age and its accompaniments of disease and weakness and the
inevitable end. The body has no value without its master, the soul. It is like
the empty cage from which the bird has flown away. Without soul, it is just a
corpse, which repels everybody. The Acharya reminds us these harsh realities of
life and urges us to give up the yearning for mundane things. Knowing the
limitations of the body will help us keep a healthy attitude in life and turn
the mind to everlasting principles, rather than concentrating on daily affairs.
DETAILED MEANINGS: Courtesy Mrs. Jayasri Akella, Ramesh and parents of
Dr. Srikanth Vedantam
General
Meaning:
Shri Thyagaraja has
described Sri Rama as Parabrahma, which is greater than the trimurthis.
Pancharathna kirtanas are famous like the countless small kirtanas whose,
length, substance and greatness have epic proportions. In these births, tenets
of worship, benevolent rule and the
incidents of Rama and Krishna avatars
are told lucidly.
Sura asura puja = worshipped
by devathas and rakshasas
Dadhi = curd
Payodhi = milk
Vaasa harana = stealing from
the pots
Sundara thara vadana =one who has the
countenance
Sudhaa maya = filled with
nectar, sweet
Vacho brinda = words
Govinda
= Govu + Vinda : String that ties the cow
Sa ananda = sath + Ananda = true
happiness
Maa Varaa = lord
of lakshmi
Jaaraptha = ever young
Aneka Subhakaraa= giver of
all kinds of successes
[Meaning: The moon
(“nichaya”) amongst the Milky Way (“thaaraka”) of the devas (“amara”).
Karpaka tree (“kumuda
hitha”) to the devas.
Blemish less (“paripurna”),
sinless (“anagha”) one.
Praised (“puja”) by devas
and asuras (“sura asura”).
An expert in stealing
(“vaasa haranaa”) curd (“dadhi”) and milk (“payodhi”) from milk pots. One who
has the best countenance (“sundara thara vadana”) and utters the nectar
dripping sweetest (“sudhamaya”) words (“vacho brinda”).
One who is always happy
immortal and ever young (“govinda, saananda Jaraaptha”). Lord of Lakshmi (“maa
varaa”).
Giver of all successes to
everyone who come to you (“aneka shubakara”)]
1. ssn p ;
mp s s r s
s m m r | sm M ; P ; pm mp
mm ||
amaraTha raka
nichaya ku mudahitha Pari Pu rnaa nagha
sura- sura
R s – m r s S n P m g m P | S s – n
n s n n s
n P r s n p ||
puja dadi payo dhivaasa
haranaa Sunda ra dara vada
na Sudhaa maya va sho
, s n p M np m R – p m
r S |
, p p – s S
n – p m r
S , r g m ||
brinda Govin- da
Saa nan- da maa varaa ja raa ptha Shu ba karaa ne- ka
1.
Self-surrender is a direct, valid mode of God-realisation.
